| Summary of Results to Date and Perspectives The mission of the INCT of Coffee is the generation of appropriate, competitive and sustainable technologies, through the integration of institutional competences, human resource training, stimulation to the innovation capacity and generation of business with high added value at the coffee production chain. In this context so far, some products are under research and development, which will certainly add value to the coffee agribusiness, as follow:

Production of plantlets by somatic embryogenesis: It is considered the most suitable alternative for large scale multiplication of superior hybrid plants (Figure 1). Seedlings from coffee plants with characteristics of great interest such as resistance to leaf miner and rust, good quality beverage and high productivity are under multiplication and will be commercially available very soon.

Figure 1. Callus and coffee plantlets obtained from somatic embryogenesis.

Production of formulations based on extracts from coffee residues: Different formulations based on coffee leaves and coffee berry husks, capable of inducing resistance in plants are under development. These formulations stimulate the defense system against pathogens in various crops. After several experiments, in Brazil and abroad, the effectiveness of these formulations has been proven against fungal and bacterial diseases in various crops, as detailed in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

Figure 2. Control of coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix). View of plots sprayed with triazolic (A) or cupric fungicides (B), compared to the formulation based on extracts from coffee residues (C). 1- after harvest in 2009 and 2- before harvest in 2010.

Figure 3. Control of bacterial spot of tomato (Xanthomonas vesicatoria), using a coffee leaf based formulation (A), compared to B – acibenzolar-S-metil and C- Control. Result obtained in Brazil and at the Texas Tech University, USA, 2009. MEDEIROS, F.C.L. et al. Defense gene expression induced by a coffee-leaf extract formulation in tomato. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 74:175-183, 2009.

Figure 4. Control of powdery mildew (Oidium sp.) on eucalyptus. Plants sprayed with formulation based on extracts from coffee leaves (1) and water sprayed control (2).

Formulations produced with the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides: This fungus is a potential bioprotective agent which may improve or keep the quality of coffee beverage, according to recent experiments (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Coffee berries pre-colonized with the bioagent fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides.

New coffee cultivars to be launched: Fundamental research experiments are also carried at the INCT-Café, aiming at characterizing and selecting, phenotypically and molecularly, populations of coffee trees with desirable agronomic characteristics, including not only yield, but also emphasizing resistance to abiotic and biotic stress and quality of the beverage.

After various trials in Minas Gerais, a very impressive initial development of the progeny derived from the cultivar Topazio, here named Travessia, was obtained (Figure 6). Travessia should be officially launched as a coffee cultivar in 2010. This new cultivar performance was similar or even better than the traditional cultivars, suggesting the possibility of using it for commercial cultivation.

Figure 6. Vegetative and reproductive development of ‘Travessia’ cultivar in an experimental field. Lavras, MG, 2009.